Family
by Andrea13
Summary: #3 of the Pegasus Flight series. Peggy gets settled in her new family, as Scott and Jean decide to take a big step.
1. Prologue

Teaser: As the X-family prepares for Scott and Jean's wedding, an uninvited guest makes plans to ruin the occasion for everyone.

Disclaimer: None of the characters in this story, except Peggy, belong to me. They belong to Marvel, but I'm not making any money off of this, so I'm hoping no one will sue.

Author's Notes: Well, after the wonderful reception "Pegasus Flight" received, I've been working on a sequel. If you haven't read "Pegasus Flight" yet, I would recommend doing so before reading this story. Thanks to everyone who sent in feedback! Comments and constructive criticism are welcome at _ra_1013@yahoo.com_, but flames are cheerfully ignored. Enjoy the story!

Note: _*text* = telepathy_

~text~ = thoughts

****

Family

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By Andrea Westerfeld

Prologue

It was a perfect fall afternoon in the county of Westchester, New York. The sky was that beautiful shade of blue somewhere between cerulean and azure that poets have tried and failed to convey to their audiences for years. The sun shone brightly, making one of its last appearances before disappearing in the cold distance of winter. Trees arrayed in their autumn finery of red, golden, and orange stretched to the sun in a final show of glory before the sleep of winter. The air held a touch of crispness to remind everyone of the long months of cold that were just around the corner. But for now all was perfect, and everyone who could was outside to enjoy the beauty of nature. The skies just outside of the town of Salem Center held an added wonder. Soaring among the clouds, trailed by the more thrill-seeking birds, was a creature straight out of legend--a pegasus. Anyone close enough to this sight would swear that human laughter could almost be heard as the pegasus seemed to dance through the sky. Birds soared and dipped around it, adding their own song to the almost-laughter and the cheerful neighs and whinnies of their odd flying companion. 

A man walked outside of the house in the middle of the grounds the pegasus was flying over. He scanned the sky around him intently, his face brightening into a smile when he spotted the sight in the clouds. Walking out onto the green lawn, he waved his arms. After a moment the pegasus seemed to spot him and angled its wings to carry its course downward. It backwinged to a landing just in front of the man. He hid a smile of amusement and scratched at his head. The pegasus rolled its eyes up and with a snort of equine amusement shook its head slightly to encourage the bird that had landed there to a more stable perch. A casual observer would have been most surprised at what happened next. The air around the pegasus began shimmering and twisting in a way that hurt the eye to look at. When the distortion ceased, a young woman with hair so blonde it looked almost white stood where the pegasus had. Though a prominent scar on her left cheek marred her face, the girl's eyes danced.

"Weren't you supposed to be training?" Scott asked his adopted daughter.

"You _did_ say I needed to work on my control of animals," Peggy pointed out innocently. "And it seemed a shame to waste such a gorgeous day."

"You've been taking lessons from Bobby, haven't you?"

"Hmm...if I was I'd have to call you 'Slim' and freeze your underwear drawer," Peggy laughed. "Maybe just from Jubilee. She said she'll teach _one_ member of the Summers family to relax if it kills her!"

Scott sighed. "Between the two of them I just don't know what I'll do sometime. They have no respect for authority." He shook his head. "Anyway, I'm moving up your training session tomorrow morning. I want you to get some team practice in, so I'm going to run you with Jean and Rogue at seven."

"I'll be there," Peggy said quietly. "I'd better get back inside and finish my biology for Hank." He didn't notice her change in attitude and left her to finish off some business of his own. Peggy went upstairs to her room and opened her biology notebook, but she just looked off into space instead of at the assignment. The training session! That's why she'd been outside in the first place, trying to forget the disastrous one earlier today. She just didn't seem to be cut out for the superhero business. She didn't want to talk to anyone about it--they might think she didn't _want_ to be an X-Man! Nothing could be farther from the truth. She just wasn't very good at it. Her mutant power wasn't exactly combative. What good was turning into a big horse? Talking to animals wasn't very useful unless Mr. Sinister decided to add a zoo to his arsenal. Peggy sighed and rested her head on her cheek. The X-Men, and especially Scott, had done so _much_ for her. The only way she could possibly pay them back was to become a perfect X-Man. She just didn't know if she could.

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Next chapter--The first meeting between Cable and Peggy. Watch the sparks fly!

This chapter is dedicated to Huan Ha, the **very first** person to send me feedback on the original _Pegasus Flight_. I was much encouraged, so thanks to everyone who wrote! 


	2. Chapter 1

"Anyone up for seconds?" Bobby asked, holding up the platter of Rogue's fried chicken. "Or in Logan and Peggy's case, fourths?"

"Nothin' wrong with a healthy appetite," Logan rebutted, calmly helping himself to more mashed potatoes. 

"I'll second the motion," Peggy spoke up, reaching for another drumstick.

"More?" Bobby exclaimed. "And they used to call _me_ the bottomless pit!"

Peggy blushed. "You know birds have to eat three time their own weight every day just to replace the energy they spend flying," she pointed out.

From the other end of the table, Warren cracked a smile. "I'll have to remember that one next time Betsy complains about me eating all her chocolate ice cream."

"Besides, haven't you ever heard the phrase 'eat like a horse'?" Jubilee piped up in her friend's defense.

"Hmmm...," Bobby said, tapping his chin with his finger and eyeing Peggy speculatively. "No, but I have heard 'I'm so hungry I could eat a horse'. Y'know, that chicken wasn't very filling..."

"Bobby," Scott spoke up, "if you attempt to eat my daughter, it will reflect very badly on your annual evaluation." He went back to blithely eating his meal as the others looked at him open-mouthed. Was he--?

Bobby moved his gaze from Scott to Jean and Peggy. The former's face was suffused with suppressed laughter, and the latter's wore the small beginnings of a smile. Finally he let out a surprised laugh. "I can't believe it. The man who can kill bad guys with a stern look and drive Mr. Sinister to his knees with a lecture--our very own Fearless Leader, Cyclops _himself_, ladies and gentlemen, has just made a joke! What does that make, four? Five, since I've known you? Boy, fatherhood's been good to you!"

The other X-Men laughed, more for Bobby's reaction than the joke itself. "Speaking of fatherhood," Storm began after the laughter died down, "is not Nathan visiting soon, Scott?"

Scott nodded, swallowing a mouthful before continuing. "X-Force is supposed to come out in a few days for their annual physicals, and Jean, ah, 'convinced' Nathan to come a little early."

"Convinced?" Warren repeated with a wry grin. "Jean in full maternal mode isn't someone you have to be 'convinced' to agree with!"

General laughter, interrupted by Jean's mock glare. "Whatever the reason," she said, sharing a glance with Scott, "it'll be good to see him again. We have a lot to talk about."

*****

Peggy hovered in the air, wings trembling with exhaustion, as she evaluated the situation. Those bumps looked like they might house lasers of some sort. She'd already discovered to her chagrin that other protrusions concealed cables that would dart out and grab a leg when she was in range, effectively immobilizing her until she was dealt with. But what other surprises were there, hidden where she couldn't see?"

~_Can't stay here forever. Better get moving before they figure out where I am._~ She angled her wings and swooped downward. She flew towards her target, changing altitude and course adroitly to avoid the lasers and other dangers. There--it was in sight! Just a little bit--no! She nearly screamed with frustration when the cable wrapped around her hindleg. She was so close! It couldn't end here.

Hit with sudden inspiration, Peggy looked around for the laser she knew would be brought to take her out of commission. She relaxed against the cable, gaining as much slack as she could while keeping one eye on the laser. When it fired she had a split second to rear and twist painfully in the air so that it missed her by a hair and instead neatly sliced through the cable. She whinnied triumphantly as she shot free and darted to the target at top speed. She landed gently, raised one silvery hoof, and pressed it down with great relish on the large red button embedded in the floor. Abruptly the dangers she had navigated melted away, leaving her in an empty room.

When Peggy changed back to her human form she bore a wide grin on her tired face. She'd finally done it! She brushed her hands off on her tight-fitting, sky blue uniform and headed for the exit. She palmed the door open and walked out--straight into Gambit. "Oh!" she exclaimed, stumbling backwards.

"Sorry t' scare y', _petite_," he apologized, extending a hand to steady her. "What y' doin' in de danger Room at dis time o' night? Not even Cyclops crazy 'nough t' schedule workouts at four in de mornin'!"

"Oh, I couldn't sleep, so I thought I'd run through that session I screwed up yesterday and see if I could get it right this time."

"Don' be so hard on y'self, _petite_. Y' doin' good f' bein' new at dis. Most o' us take a while t' build up de experience. Gambit, he jus' learn faster dan most." He winked at her. She returned his smile hesitantly.

"Well, it was a great cure for insomnia," Peggy replied. "I think I can drop right off now."

"Oiu, Gambit ready f'r bed too. I had a very long night. I tell you 'bout it when y' older."

Peggy laughed. "Can't wait. Good night, Gambit." She yawned hugely and walked past him towards the stairs. When she reached her room, she barely managed to peel off her uniform and slip on a comfortable oversize shirt before sliding gratefully into bed. It had taken god-knows-how-many runs to get that right, and she was dead tired. But she was determined to be the best X-Man possible. She _would _be worthy of her new family. No matter what it took.

*****

"So are you nervous 'bout meeting your big bro?" Jubilee asked, cracking her gum and looking at Peggy expectantly.

Peggy looked up from her scribbled science notes. Hank might be a brilliant researcher, but he was not the best teacher to the scientifically-challenged! "That's right, Nathan's coming today." 

"How can you be so totally cool about it? Man, if _I_ had a bro like Cable, I'd be majorly freaked at meeting him."

"I'm sure he can't be that bad," Peggy replied hesitantly.

Jubilee gave a very undignified snort. "You won't be saying that after you meet him, Peg. Trust me."

Peggy chewed her lower lip nervously. she thought back to what she'd read about her new brother in the X-history files. Scott's son by a clone of Jean, sent two thousand years in the future as a baby, little Nathan Christopher Summers had returned a battle-hardened veteran older than his own father. He had become the leader of X-Force and was known as quite a formidable man. She was a lot more worried about meeting him than she wanted to let on. She still wasn't quite sure of her place in her new family, both the X-Men as a whole and the Summers in particular. _~He's Scott's _real_ son. He's such a great X-Man, and I can't even get my sessions in the Danger room right. What good am I when he has a son like that?~_

She was deep in her brooding when the doorbell rang. She nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound. "I'll get it," she managed to say to Jubilee. Peggy kept her face schooled in a neutral expression and a tight lock on her emotions. Nathan was a telepath, after all. She pulled open the heavy wooden door to reveal a tall, muscular man with silver-streaked hair. The gleaming metal of his left arm confirmed without a doubt that this was indeed Cable.

He looked over her for a moment, his features hard. "Are Scott and Jean here?" he said finally. "I'm expected."

"Yes, come in," Peggy replied quietly, opening the door further to allow him entrance. "Scott's supervising a session in the Danger Room, but Jean--"

"Hello, Nathan," Jean said as she stepped into the room. "I just told Scott you were here. He'll be up as soon as he can. I see you already met Peggy."

"Briefly." His gaze passed right over her. Peggy cringed inside. He could see she wasn't good enough to be here, part of the X-Men or of his family.

*****

Peggy tried hard to melt into the couch as Jean chatted with Nathan. The stern-faced telepath hadn't spoken two words to her since he'd come to the mansion. His and Jean's conversation seemed somewhat stilted and formal to her, as if it was between two people who were practically strangers instead of practically family. She didn't understand why, but Peggy was sure it had to be because of her somehow. She was so sunk into her misery that she didn't even notice a fourth person enter the room until she felt a hand on her shoulder. 

"Aren't you interested in telepathic mechanics?" a familiar voice asked, looking down at her through red-shielded eyes.

"Hi Dad," she replied , tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Unless they're talking about animals it's pretty much lost on me."

"Well you've still got me beat," Scott countered with a smile. He was still dressed in his X-Men uniform from the training session, but the hood and visor was slung back behind his head, a pair of ruby-quartz sunglasses keeping his powerful optic blasts in check. He looked over at the other occupants of the room. "Hello, Nathan. Glad you could come," he said with a nod.

""Scott," the other man replied in the same manner. "Jean said you had something you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Straight to the point, as usual. Yes, we did." He walked over to stand by Jean, squeezing her shoulder affectionately.

"Does the girl need to be here?" Nathan asked brusquely.

Peggy tried to sink deep into the cushions at his tone. Scott looked back at her. "This concerns Peggy as much as you," he said simply. Jean reached up and squeezed his hand, smiling at the other two.

"We've decided to get married," she announced.

Peggy's eyes widened in delight. "That's wonderful!" she exclaimed, jumping up to hug Scott tightly. Scott laughed and ruffled her hair.

"I'm glad you approve."

"So you're not worried about getting a wicked stepmother?" Jean asked with a grin.

"Does this mean I have to call you Mom now?" Peggy laughed. She turned back to Nathan with a wide smile--one that faded at the look on the man's face. It might have been carved in stone. "I-isn't this great?" she faltered.

"Congratulations," he offered curtly. Peggy sighed. Why couldn't her brother be as excited about this as she was?

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Next chapter--An engagement party in the X-Mansion. What could possibly_ go wrong?_


	3. Chapter 2

_/clink clink clink/_

The babble in the room died down as Professor Xavier tapped on his glass. Everyone turned their attention to where he sat with Scott and Jean by his side. The X-Men's found cleared his throat. "It doesn't seem like so very long ago that I first gathered a group of young people here to be my first X-Men, but I look out across the room today and see many new faces. All of us here were brought together by our common devotion to the Dream--a world where humans and mutants live in peace, where we can feel free to raise families. Scott Summers and Jean Grey have been fighting for the first part of that dream since the X-Men's inception, but today they begin to strive for the latter."

He raised his glass in a toast. "To Scott and Jean, and the fulfillment of their dream."

"Here here!" the rest of the room chorused, raising their glasses in turn.

"And it's about time!" Warren called out, eliciting widespread laughter.

"You know, after as many problems as those two have had getting together," Bobby commented, taking a swig from his glass, "this is probably going to be the most interesting engagement in history!"

"Look boys, a party," a new voice interrupted. Heads turned to the doorway, where Scalphunter stood flanked by his fellow Marauders. "And we weren't even invited. I'm hurt." He cracked his knuckles deliberately. "What say we make them hurt, eh?" 

"Ya just had to say that, didn't you Drake?" Tabitha asked disgustedly.

"Killers such as yourselves are never welcome here," Storm proclaimed grandly. "Remove yourselves from this place at once.

Harpoon grinned. "And if we don't, Windrider?"

Logan jumped out in front of the group, unsheathing his claws with a /_snikt_/. "Then we make ya, bub."

                                                                                  *****

Peggy watched the battle unfold with wide eyes. She'd read the files about the Marauders. They were vicious killers. She knew she wouldn't stand a chance if she entered the battle, so she tried to stay as far out of the way as possible. Back pressed firmly against the wall, Peggy observed the battle closely, hoping to see some way to help. Watching so closely, she was probably the only one who noticed a new figure enter the fray.

Sinister teleported in behind Cable. The mutant warrior didn't appear to notice the villain's entrance. Sinister raised a device and pointed it at Cable, who promptly screamed in pain and collapsed. Grabbing his prize by the scruff of the neck, Sinister reached for a control pad on his belt. Peggy's eyes widened as she realized he was about to escape.

"Cable!" she shouted, jumping from her hiding place. Her intent was to push the man out of the range of Sinister's device, but unfortunately she didn't quite succeed. She felt a tingle pass through her body as she came into contact with Cable--and then her world went black.

                                                                                  *****

             Warpath lifted the long table back into place with a grunt. Next to him, Siryn was shaking debris off the tablecloth. All around them, the other members of the X-Men and X-Force were cleaning up the remains of their recent battle with the Marauders. 

"This is certainly an auspicious beginning to our marriage," Jean said wryly, telekinetically sweeping a load of rubble outside via the new hole in the wall. She only narrowly missed hitting Domino as the co-leader of X-Force dashed in from the lawn. "Domino, what's wrong?"

"Where's Nate?" she asked urgently, looking around the room.

"We thought he was with you," Theresa offered. 

"Something's wrong. I felt it through our psi-bond."

Jean put a hand to her temple and closed her eyes in concentration. "I'm not sensing him anywhere on the grounds."

"The attack was a decoy!" Scott exclaimed, pounding his fist into his palm. "I knew they backed down too easily. Sinister must have been after Nathan all along."

"Do not jump to conclusions, my friend," Storm said. "Is everyone else accounted for?"

"Ah think so," Rogue answered her. She looked around the room, tallying up the total mentally. She frowned. "Hey, where's Peggy?"

                                                                                  *****

Cable regained consciousness all at once, awareness flooding back into his senses. He immediately began to assess his situation.  His back was against a cold, hard surface; most of his weight was straining at his wrists and the metal cuffs restraining him. An inhibitor collar was fitted snugly around his neck. His suspicions about where he was were confirmed by the smooth voice interrupting his thoughts. "I know you are awake, Dayspring."

"Sinister," he growled, opening his eyes to meet the dispassionate gaze of the white-faced scientist. "What do you want, you madman?"

Sinister clicked his tongue disapprovingly as he walked over to the wall where Cable hung. "Now now, is that any way to talk to your beloved grandfather? And after I arranged such a nice family reunion."

"You're no family of mine!"

"Ah, but I was referring to your dear sister," Sinister countered, waving his hand behind him.

"Ray?!" Cable exclaimed, twisting in his restraints. "Peggy?" His confusion was evident as he saw the unconscious girl lying in the cage across the room. "What do you want with her?"

"My plan was only to capture you. My neuro-scrambler was calibrated to your specific brain waves. The girl was an accident, but I'm sure I can find some use for her. For you, however, I have something special planned. Sinister bared his teeth in a smile and strolled back towards the door. "I'll leave you to contemplate your fate."

After the door slid shut behind the scientist, Cable swore inventively. "Why is it that villains always feel the need to gloat once they've captured you?"

"Oooh...what happened?" Peggy moaned, shaking her head weakly.

"What happened is you let yourself get captured like a flonqing idiot!" Cable exploded. "Oath, girl, I thought even you would have enough sense to stay out of Sinister's way."

"I just wanted to help."

Cable suppressed a surge of annoyance at the girl's tearful voice. "What is, is," he said tightly. "Now just be quiet and let me think of a way out of here."

He scanned the room, which was set up like some sort of laboratory. "If I could just get to those controls," he muttered, thinking out loud, "and shut off this collar..."

"Cable?" Peggy interrupted his thoughts eagerly. "I don't have an inhibitor. There's just this cage, and it looks pretty weak. I'm real strong in my pegasus form. I can break through it, I know I can."

"No, wait--" His warning came too late; she'd already begun to transform. The cage was barely big enough for a human, so the pegasus quickly filled it. When her sides touched the cage walls, though, an arc of electric current jumped across the bars. Peggy screamed in pain and quickly returned to her human form, smoking and trembling.

"Use some sense, girl!" Cable exclaimed angrily. "Think before you act!"

"I--I'm just trying to help," Peggy apologized.

"You've 'helped' enough already. Now I have to worry about getting you out of here as well. Just be quiet, and let me think!"

                                                                                 *****

Escape plan number twenty-three didn't work either.

Cable slumped back into his restraints, racking his mind for another brilliant plan. He glanced back to check on his fellow prisoner for a moment. She'd been very quiet since her botched escape attempt. "Oath!" he swore when he saw her. What had that girl gotten herself into now? He almost suspected his mind was playing tricks on him for a moment--the air around her was shimmering as if from heat, and the lines of her body kept shifting in and out. His eyes hurt just watching. "What are you doing?" he hissed. She didn't reply.

A sound at the far end of the room attracted his attention. He looked over towards the computer bank in time to see the consoles start to smoke and spark. The cuffs holding him to the wall silently opened, dropping the Askani unceremoniously to the floor. "How did you do that, girl?" he demanded of his fellow prisoner.

"I was shifting--just enough to be able to control a mouse, and had him chew through the wires," she replied weakly, putting a hand to her temple. "I didn't think it would be this hard." She was sweating and out of breath from the exertion.

"Good job," he told her brusquely, unlocking her cage with his tk and helping her out. "We've got to get moving."

"I can walk," she protested, pulling away from his steadying arm.

"But not run," he countered. "Now let's get going." He palmed open the door and half-dragged her down the hallway, keeping alert for guards. "We need to find a ride. Keep an eye out for anything."

Peggy nodded. They crept through the hallways, meeting little resistance. Surely Sinister would notice they were gone soon, and their escape would become quite a bit more difficult. Suddenly she caught sight of something as they passed through a cross-corridor. "Cable!" she whispered urgently. "I think I saw a hanger bay," she explained, indicating the direction.

He nodded sharply and backtracked, peering cautiously around the corner to check. His left eye glowed as he used his telepathy, and he nodded again. "Good. Stay here while I take care of the guards."

"I can help."

"You can help more by staying out of the way. There aren't that many guards." Peggy lowered her eyes and nodded. Satisfied, he left her and skulked down the hallway. Skulking wasn't really Cable's style, though, and before he made it more than halfway down the corridor he gave up and just tackled the guards with a shout.  Yanking their weapons away telekinetically, he quickly dispatched the first guard with an Askani technique. The others weren't prepared to fight a maniac without their guns, and tried to flee. He couldn't let them alert Sinister, though. 

Wiping his hands in satisfaction as he regarded the unconscious bodies, Cable muttered, "That felt surprisingly good."

"An excellent display, Dayspring," Sinister said coolly. Cable whirled around to see the geneticist stroll casually around the corner--holding Peggy aloft by the throat effortlessly. Peggy kicked uselessly at the air and pried at the hands around her neck, trying to breathe. "But you seem to have forgotten something."

"Sinister," Cable growled, advancing a step towards him.

"I don't think so. Would you throw your compatriot's life away so casually?"

"Harm her, Sinister, and I'll--"

"Save your threats," he interrupted. "Surrender now, or this child has drawn her last breath." Cable looked at the girl beginning to turn blue and swore in defeat. "That's better," Sinister continued, gesturing for more of his guards to come forward. They snapped an inhibitor collar around his neck and put restraints on his wrists, then led him away.

Next chapter--What does Sinister have in store for Cable and Peggy? Or will they kill each other first?   


	4. Chapter 3

This time they were both tossed in a tiny room, empty except for the two mutants. Sinister wasn't underestimating them again--they were both fitted with collars and restraints. Cable examined the cell for any possible avenues of escape, not really expecting any but still driven to check. Peggy sat against the back wall, her knees drawn up to her chest. "You should have just ran," she commented quietly after a few minutes.

"You would be dead," he replied shortly, feeling along the walls for hidden catches.

"So? I haven't been anything but trouble to you anyway. You'd be better off leaving me behind." She sighed and whispered almost inaudibly, "Everybody would."

~_Have I done something to deserve this?~_ Cable asked silently, suppressing an exasperated sigh. He was not up to dealing with an emotional girl right now. "I don't abandon teammates," he said shortly, shoving aside the flood of memories that followed that statement. Why _had_ he given in so easily? He'd abandoned others before, friends, when it was necessary for his mission. "Besides, Scott would kill me," he continued, seizing on the obvious explanation.

Peggy's mouth twitched upwards at the mention of the X-Men's leader. "I guess...He might be relieved, though."

"What, you think he adopts every stray that falls in his path?" Cable asked, not expecting the bitterness that tinged the statement. Scott had only given him to the Askani to save his life. He knew that. He shouldn't feel the bitterness of a father's abandonment. 

"I think he felt guilty. Or sorry for me." Her fingers brushed across the prominent scar across her left cheek. He's probably regretted it ever since. I'm not an X-Man." There were tears glistening in her eyes as she leaned her head back against the wall. 

Cable sighed and looked around, but there were no convenient bad guys springing up for him to fight. He had time, and nothing to fill it but talking to her. "There's nothing wrong with not being an X-Man. Not everyone's cut out for this kind of life. Some of us would rather not live this sort of life either."

"But I have to!" she protested, looking at him almost desperately. He'd touched a nerve, it seemed. He expected tears or at least an explanation, but he got neither. She closed her eyes for a moment and pushed away the emotion with an effort he could almost feel. "I'm sorry," she said quietly, reserved and withdrawn once more. "We need to concentrate on finding a way out."

Cable wrinkled his forehead, seeing for the first time a glimpse of the person behind the mask. He hadn't even recognized that there'd been a mask, though he should be familiar enough with his own to recognize others. Perhaps there was more to this girl than he thought.

"There's no way out. We're stuck here, for now." He considered his words carefully, the cynical part of him wondering why he was even bothering. He told that little voice to go flonq itself. "Peggy, I--I have a confession to make. I didn't give you a fair chance when we first met. I was reacting to what you represent, not you."

Peggy regarded him with surprised eyes. "W-what do you mean, what I represent?" she asked.

"Scott's daughter," he replied simply. The words were harder to get out than he thought, and he wondered why he had to choose this particular subject to reassure her on. "The one he chose, the one he--wanted to spend time with, when he sent me away."

"But--but you would've died if he hadn't!"

"I know that," he replied, wry humor tingeing his words. "I know that intellectually, but not in my heart."

"I--" She didn't know quite what to make of his admission, that much was obvious. "I thought Scott wanted me to be more like you. The perfect X-Man."

He snorted. "The perfect X-Man. Oath, that's something I never thought I'd hear myself described as! I'm many things, girl, but 'perfect' and 'X-Man' are not any of them."

"I just wanted him to be proud of me," Peggy admitted quietly. The desperate yearning for approval was something even Cable, not renowned for his emotional astuteness, could recognize. She was fingering that scar again, he noted. There was something significant about it.

He wasn't known for his skill at subtlety either, so he simply asked her, "How did you get that scar on your face?"

She looked up at him with the frightened eyes of a child peering through that self-possessed mask. "My father," she said slowly, "was a member of the Friends of Humanity. When he found out I was a mutant, he--" She stopped, looking away. "He wasn't happy," she finished in a very small voice. "If it wasn't for Scott..."

Her voice trailed off, and understanding dawned on Cable. No wonder she was so attached to Scott. He remembered when one of his few friends as a child had taken in an abused animal from the streets. That thing would follow her to the gates of Hell without hesitation, so strongly had she been imprinted on its mind. Come to think of it, around everyone else it had acted much like Peggy--quiet, unobtrusive, and curling up into a whimpering ball of fur if anyone tried to get in too close. He'd wondered why Scott seemed so taken with this mousy creature, but now he was beginning to understand. That frightened vulnerability was coupled with a quiet strength few could equal, which had allowed her to do as much as she had. She was so determined to do everything perfectly, without letting anyone see how hard it was. ~_Who does that remind you of?~_ he thought wryly, recognizing the all-too-familiar description.

"I'm no good to anyone," Peggy said dejectedly.

"I wouldn't say that. If it wasn't for you, we wouldn't have escaped in the first place."

"But I'm the reason we got captured again," she pointed out.

"Don't worry; we'll get out of here." He offered her a smile, the expression feeling out of place but strangely good on his face. "What are big brothers for?"

She looked at him, the beginnings of a smile starting to dawn on her face. Unfortunately, that was the moment Sinister decided to re-enter their cell. "I apologize for the delay. I trust the accommodations have been satisfactory?"

"Spare us the good host routine, Sinister," Cable growled. "It doesn't suit you."

"Then let's get down to business, shall we?" the scientist replied, baring his pointed teeth in a grotesque parody of a smile. His odd cape flowed behind him as he walked across the room. Cable stood and blocked his way to Peggy.

"Leave her out of this," he said levelly. "I'm the one you want."

"Indeed, but I have never been one to turn up my nose at a gift. Oh don't worry; I don't plan to harm her...yet. I have a very special experiment in mind for the young Miss Summers." 

Peggy returned the man's gaze evenly, Cable noticed with a surge of pride. "After that, she may still serve some purpose," Sinister continued casually. "How do you suppose your fearless leader would react to having his dear daughter returned to him--one piece at a time?"

"You're not touching her!" he growled, springing at the villain. He raised his cuffed hands to club Sinister across the head. Sinister went down heavily. Peggy showed remarkable presence of mind, springing past the two and using the same move to incapacitate the guard before he could call for reinforcements. 

"Let's get going!" Cable shouted, grabbing Peggy as he raced out the door. "That won't keep him down for long."

They raced through the corridors, trying to retrace the path they'd been brought along to return to the hangar. Somewhere along the twists and turns, however, they went the wrong way. "Oath!" Cable swore, skidding to a stop on the roof. They'd made it outside, all right, but they wouldn't be going any farther. He looked around the roof for any hint of another way out. It was too far to jump off the top, and he couldn't carry them both down telekinetically even if he had his powers. He used every oath he knew and probably invented some new ones as he evaluated their situation.

"Cable?" Peggy asked.

"What is i--" He stopped short when he turned around to see her standing there with her manacles and inhibitor collar on the ground at her feet. "How did you do that?" he asked in amazement.

She smiled impishly, the person behind the mask showing through once again. "The guard," she explained simply, holding up a ring with several keys attached. He felt a grin start to pull at his mouth. He fought it back and held out his own hands.

"Well, don't just stand there." She quickly unlocked his restraints. "Now if we can just find a way off this roof," he mused.

*_Cable?*_

Cable turned back again to see Peggy in her pegasus form, tossing her head up in impatience. The grin he'd been fighting won out this time. "Oath, girl, you're coming in pretty handy," he admitted, climbing on her back and taking firm hold of the silky white mane.

Peggy's laugh sounded in his mind. *_You weren't so bad yourself, big brother_.*

By the time Sinister and his men burst out onto the roof, the Summers were already in the air and making top speed back to Westchester.

******

"For heaven's sake, Scott, will you stop pacing already?!" Warren exclaimed. "The Blackbird's going as fast as it can."

"I know that, and I'm not pacing," Cyclops replied with icy precision.

"There's a hole in the carpet, and he says he's not pacing," Boomer snorted. Scott glared at her, regretting their decision to bring X-Force along, even if Cable was their leader.

*_You couldn't have stopped Domino if you tried, Scott_,* Jean told him through their link. *_And you_ were _pacing_.*

*_Whose side are you on anyway?*_ he snarled back.

*_Yours,*_ she replied evenly. *_So stop pacing before you drive us all crazy. Ororo's doing the best she can.*_

*_She didn't have to lock me out of the cockpit_.*

Jean smothered a laugh at his petulant tone. *_You were making a pest of yourself. Just trust everyone to do the jobs they've trained for. We're lucky Cerebro was able to detect where they were being held at all.*_

"So do we actually have a plan for when we do get there?" Domino asked. She seemed to be stretched out lazily in one of the cabin chairs, but her wiry muscles were taunt with anticipation of action.

Scott's eyes were covered by his ruby-quartz visor, but if he'd been able to he would have given her a dirty look. "We go in, we get them out," he said, as if it was the simplest thing in the world.

Domino raised an eyebrow. "That's the plan? Now I see where Nathan gets it from."

Scott's jaw twitched as he fought to restrain his temper. The woman had the same ability as Nathan for pushing his buttons. "In case you forgot, Nathan is being held by Sinister."

"Oh, is that why we're blasting towards his base without a thought in our heads?" she shot back acidly. "Operating like that will just get us killed."

"This isn't one of your mercenary groups, Domino. My d--my _children_," he corrected, "are being held by an insane scientist. Who knows what could be happening to them?"

"I think I know," Bobby offered, half-raising his hand. Scott ignored him.

"They could be in some lab having experiments run on them! They could be being tortured!"

"Or they could be outside waving," Bobby suggested helpfully.

"Or they could be outside--" Scott stopped in confusion, looking back at Bobby, who pointed to the observation window. Scott's jaw dropped. Cable was perched on Peggy's back just outside the window, waving with an ironic half-smile.

"You know, if Ah didn't know better," Sam said, his eyes wide, "Ah'd swear that horse was grinnin' at us."

"Open the door!" Scott managed to get out. One of the others palmed the control that opened the Blackbird's main hatch. A moment later Pegasus touched down to a graceful landing inside. Once Cable slid off her back, Peggy shifted back to her human form. "Are you all right?" Scott asked.

"Don't worry; we're fine," Cable replied.

"Mm-hmm. Jus' great," Peggy mumbled, her eyes half-closed. Cable reached an arm out to catch her before she fell on the floor. To everyone's surprise, he picked her up and carried her over to an empty chair, setting her down gently.

"Relax, Scott," he said dryly, looking over at the X-Men's fearless leader. "She's just tired. She's had a hard day." He looked uncharacteristically at-ease with his father, putting a hand on the other's shoulder and steering him towards the cockpit. "I'll tell you all about it, but first don't you think we should tell whoever's driving to turn around?"


	5. Epilogue

Hank insisted on checking Peggy out as soon as they returned to the mansion, and by the time she managed to break free of the overly-eager doctor, X-Force had already left. Life being for the X-Men what it was, Peggy didn't have the opportunity to see her brother for a while. The time flew by, and before any of them quite knew what was happening, Scott and Jean were standing at an alter in the backyard saying their vows.

Peggy stood beside the refreshment table at the reception, filling her plate again. She'd just snuck a sausage roll in her mouth when a stern voice asked, "Don't they feed you around here, girl?"

She turned around in surprise, swallowing hastily. "Hello Nathan," she said when she'd recovered. Smiling at his companions, she said, "Hello Sam, Tabitha."

"This food rocks," Tabitha proclaimed, popping another pastry into her mouth. She looked at the pile on Peggy's plate with wide eyes. "Geez, they been starving you or something?"

"Even mah momma'd have a hard time keepin' up with an appetite like that," Sam laughed.

Peggy blushed, then said quietly, "It's not my fault I eat like a horse. Blame Mother Nature."  
"The rallying cry of all mutants," Nathan agreed good-naturedly, stacking his own plate with goodies. "Some of us are lucky enough to have a fast metabolism."

Peggy chuckled. "I don't know about you. I carried Scott and Jubilee together and they weren't as heavy as you were, Leadbutt," she teased. Tabitha nearly spit out her punch, and Sam looked worriedly at his leader's face. Peggy cringed at his sternly-impassive expression and suddenly found her toes very fascinating.

Nathan frowned at her retreat back behind the mask and decided it was worth a small sacrifice of his dignity. "Peggy," he said, making her look up. A corner of his mouth twitched upwards slightly. "What is, is." The smile returned to her face. He cleared his throat and looked back over towards the dance floor. "I suppose I need to work off some of the wedding cake, then. Would you care to dance?"

Peggy smiled delightedly, setting her plate down and taking his outstretched hand.

A pair of red-shielded eyes watched them walk out on the dance floor from across the reception. Scott smiled slightly as they started to waltz. At last, they were finally starting to feel like a family.

__

Fine


End file.
